WHEN Luo Yan's elder brother returned to the car and started to drive it, Yu Jiao finally faced the reality that she would not only eat dinner with the three brothers of the Luo family, she would also sleepover in their house. If she was any other girl, she would probably feel ecstatic right now. She would probably even think of how to attract the attention of these brothers. After all, the Luo family was one of the richest family in S City. So, of course, the three brothers were like princes in the eyes of most girls her age. Probably the same could be said to those who were older. But sadly, Yu Jiao didn't share the same sentiment as them.
Luo Yan was her friend, the first one she ever made. The thought of getting close to him and his brothers with an ulterior motive in mind was just sickening to her. How could she even think of that?
The only thing she was feeling right now was, well, she wasn't exactly sure what she was feeling. Awkwardness perhaps? There was even a bit of frustration in the mix. Maybe because she couldn't refuse Luo Yan when he invited her to sleepover in their house. If she could be a little bit firmer, she wouldn't be in this situation right now.
She could only comfort herself with the fact that she would, no doubt, be safe at the Luo household. She wasn't delusional enough to think that Luo Yan's brothers would actually have any interest in her. Just look at her, she's not exactly the type that men would be attracted to. And she's not saying that because she had low self-esteem. She was simply being realistic.
It wasn't because she was ugly. Her eyes might be extremely near-sighted, but she wasn't blind. She could at least judge her own appearance. She was too tall and too gangly. And her face, although not ugly, was not exactly beautiful either. If she was a guy, then her face would probably pass as 'handsome'. But that was it.
Yu Jiao looked at Luo Yan sitting on the passenger's seat. His eyes were shining and his smile was brighter than the sun. He was simply brimming with excitement. How could she refuse him when he looked like that?
So, she finally resigned herself to her fate and called the dorm manager to tell her that she wouldn't be back at the dorm tonight.
———-
They went to a highly-praised restaurant in the city. Luo Ren had already booked a private box earlier while they were still on their way. So, the waiter quickly led them there. The three sat down on the turning round table.
"May I take your order, sir?" the waiter asked Luo Ren.
"What do you two want to eat?" Luo Ren asked his brother and Jiao Jiao instead.
"You can order for me, Brother," Luo Yan said.
"Then, I'll order some of your favorite dishes," Luo Ren said with a petting tone.
"I-I'm fine with anything," Yu Jiao then followed.
Luo Ren turned to the tall teenager. "You don't have any allergy?"
Yu Jiao shook her head.
With that, Luo Ren said a number of dishes. Of course, this also included some of Luo Jin's favorites. After hearing their orders, the waiter told them that their food would arrive shortly. And then he walked out of the room.
Before the dishes they ordered arrived, Luo Jin walked into the private box first.
"Brother, why did you suddenly decided to eat out?" he first said once he walked in. He was quite surprised when Uncle Chu told him that his eldest brother asked him to take him to a restaurant. Because his eldest brother wasn't exactly the type who loved to eat out. He was about to say more, but his steps halted when he noticed someone who he didn't expect to be there. "Yu Jiao?"
Yu Jiao? Luo Ren was a bit startled when he heard his youngest brother calling the tall teenager that. Because that would mean that 'Jiao Jiao' was the other's nickname and 'Yu Jiao' was 'his' name. And yet here he was, calling him that from the very beginning. He suddenly felt embarrassed in a way. The teenager was probably felt way worse. After all, 'his' friend's older brother had been calling 'him' in 'his' nickname as if they were close or something. That definitely felt awkward.
"Why are you here?" Luo Jin added. There was no malice in his voice, just pure surprise.
Luo Ren's brows slightly crumpled when he heard Luo Jin's question. "Xiao Jin, don't be rude," he scolded. "I invited Jia- I mean, Yu Jiao to eat with us."
"Sorry," Luo Jin said to Yu Jiao. "I'm just surprised."
"It's okay."
Luo Ren glanced sideways at Yu Jiao. The kid didn't stutter just now. Now that he thought about it, 'he' wasn't really stuttering when 'he' was talking to Luo Yan. Did that mean that 'he' only does with people he's not comfortable with? That wasn't exactly a very forthcoming piece of information.
"Ah Jin, guess what? Jiao Jiao will sleepover at our house tonight," Luo Yan said excitedly once his younger brother walked to the table.
Luo Jin almost missed the chair he was about to sit on when he heard what Luo Yan said. "You invited Yu Jiao to sleep at our house?" he asked to make sure that he didn't hear it wrong.
His second brother nodded happily.
Luo Jin looked incredulously at his second brother before turning his head to their older brother. "Brother, you actually agreed?"
"Yes, why wouldn't I?" Luo Ren said, frowning. Why was this younger brother of his being so rude today?
"Well, for one—" before Luo Jin could say that it's because Yu Jiao was a girl and it's not really appropriate to let her sleep in a house full of men, excluding the maids and all, the door of the box opened and waiters carrying trays of food came in.
Yu Jiao glanced at Luo Jin's expression and immediately knew what he was thinking. She could only sigh once again and thought, [I feel you, Luo Jin. I feel you.]